This study is based on educational drama work in a special education
context.
The study was conducted at a school for special needs students. The purpose of the study is to examine the impact educational drama may have on the development of students in need of special support with special focus on social interaction and self-esteem. In order to test our hypothesis of a positive impact by educational drama work in a special needs setting. The work consisted of students performing drama exercises.
Furthermore, the students created a music video based on their self-produced song. The experiment/work was conducted over a period of four days with three participants aged 14-15 years. As a method to examine our hypothesis and create an understanding of both the processes as well as the underlying causes, we chosen participant observation.
The results show that educational drama can bring students increased self-awareness, social
skills, relationship skills and motivation. However, above all, it can help create an inclusive approach where students’ needs are met.
The approach has proven to be of great importance, both for the students’ previous education which was marked by failures, but also for how we managed to do our work with the students. We see potential in integrating drama education and special education with the regular curriculum to provide students with special needs the customized education they need and are entitled to.